Terminus
by Juggsauce
Summary: Matt navigates the complexities of a world that knows the extent of his abilities. Miranda (from the sequel screenplay) is kidnapped from government custody and forced to continue her work for an unknown entity.
1. Foreword

I'll call this a preamble to the story to come. The movie Chronicle has always occupied a special place in my heart. I could never put my finger on it until I came across this review: (Youtube dot com)/ydHEGhQghPY

It always bummed me out that there was never a sequel. You can imagine my giddyness when I found out the Landis' screenplay for the sequel leaked. I found the PDF and read it not too long ago. I liked it so much that I found myself once again depressed because there definitely won't be any more continuation of the story. Last time this happened to me was after running out of manga chapters to read of Attack on Titan back in 2014. Its a very slow moving manga and I wanted more story so bad that I wrote a fanfic about it.

Well, it's happening again. So while I polish off the first chapter I wanted to put this out there to prepare anyone who follows me who may want to read it. You'll likely be a litte lost reading this unless you have seen the movie and read the screenplay for the sequel. This is a continuation from the end of the screenplay.

This site cancels out links so to get to the screenplay follow these simple steps:

1\. Open a google search

2\. Search these exact words: "docdroid martyr 2"

3\. Click on the top result

4\. Enjoy

Anyway, once you finish this screenplay you'll be ready to read my own continuation in the coming chapters. I hope you all like this as it takes shape.


	2. 1 Amends

The telltale flicker of a failing ballast in the fluorescent lighting in the corner of the room had a way of drawing Miranda's eyes from the array of computer screens in front of her. Feeling her heart rate creep up at the thought of throwing her chair at the offending fixture, the young woman planted her face into her left hand and took a deep breath.

"Not now." Her lips shaped the words as she exhaled.

Miranda looked over the code on her primary screen as the software finished compiling.

"Errors: 0". The prompt read.

She collapsed backward into her chair, but quickly shot back up. As she fought the urge to look up at the camera mounted atop the array of screens, Miranda wondered if she had given off any signs of what she was up to. Would they notice the hope that her face surely displayed and scrutinize her updated firmware? She took great care to add the subroutine little by little, over the past few weeks. Weeks… Had it been that long? How could she know? It had seemed like a lifetime before they finally decided that her medications were vital. And they went as far as to disable any clock or calendar functions in every computer she had been allowed to touch. These people were thorough.

Miranda saved her work, unplugged the laptop that ran all of the screens, and stood up. Her legs barely did as she willed them to as she paused a moment to let the lightheadedness pass. It was a somber reminder of how little they gave her to eat. She found herself wondering what purpose that served as she walked to the drop box in the corner of the room and slid the laptop inside. At 5'2", she wondered what they stood to gain from starving her. If anything, it worked against her usefulness to them.

Miranda yawned as she traipsed to the mattress in the corner of the room, the same corner as the flickering light. She considered pulling the dirty thing to the empty corner behind her, the other two were occupied; one by a toilet and the other by a shower head and drain. But her short walk had left her out of breath and lightheaded. Defeated, the young woman collapsed onto the mattress and pulled the thin blanket over her whole body. It didn't block the light of the room very well but it was better than nothing.

The muted metallic sound inside the drop box signaled that her captors would not be challenging her self imposed bed time. As if to confirm her conclusion, the lights went dark. It was when the laptop was not collected and the lights stayed on that she could expect a violently persuasive visit from her hosts. It didn't happen often, but it did happen. They wore what looked like flight suits, helmets, and gloves. Clearly a deliberate means of concealing any features the men had that might give away anything about where they were. None of them had ever verbally spoke to her, there would be no accents to give anything away. All communication was done through physical notes and prompts on the computers they gave her.

The room was barren; white, somewhat dirty walls with no windows. Only a single door next to the drop box, under which light into the room. Occasionally the outside light gave away the forms of her captors as they walked by. In addition to the camera mounted atop the monitors on the desk, each corner of the room had another mounted on the ceiling.

Miranda had long since concluded that she deserved everything that was happening to her, but it didn't make it any easier. Swiping at where the tears had begun tickling her cheek, she uncovered her head and rolled onto her back. As Miranda slowed her breathing, she took solace in the fact that even if her message in a bottle went nowhere, even if she would die here; they couldn't take away her dreams at night.

Stephanie Freeman placed her crutches against a nearby tree and sat in the grass. A few hundred yards South of the 'Mogo site', this was her place to decompress and watch the red light from the sunset pierce through the surrounding trees.

While her concussion symptoms had all but cleared up, her broken right leg was not quite healed after they had rebroken it to fix the incorrect healing during her nearly two week coma. She still maintained a slight resentment that the hospital neglected to run x rays while she was comatose. Nevertheless, she was happy to finally be back to work.

"Hey".

Stephanie, startled, whirled around at the sound of Matt's voice to see him gracefully landing arms length away.

"You're back?" Stephanie, clumsily trying to get up, froze as he waved a dismissive hand and sat next to her.

"Not officially." Matt said solemnly.

Stephanie studied the young man for a moment as she reluctantly relaxed back into the grass. His hair was cut short and he had grown a short beard. He looked different from when he had come out to the public. He could feasibly don a hat and sunglasses and blend right into a crowd.

"Is this your first time back? Has Hanson seen you yet?"

"How are you?" Matt's reply came as if she hadn't spoken at all.

Stephanie paused for a moment, her eyes narrowed slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know… Isn't that something you ask someone who got hurt because of you?"

"It wasn't-"

"Sure it was. It's nice of you to pretend otherwise, but I mean... I was stomping around like a psycho in a public place trying to pick a fight with an unstable girl in a flying tank with legs. Of course it's my fault that people got hurt."

Matt waved his hand toward Stephanie's leg cast.

"Look at this. I… I may as well have broken it myself. And now I've got cults gluing pictures of my fucking face on Jesus Christ statues. What a mindfuck."

"I'm fine, Matt. I got a raise, a medal, and they even got me a cake with my name on it for my first day back."

Matt and Stephanie shared an awkward chuckle as Matt glanced in all directions, making little effort to conceal his paranoia.

"I'm sorry. Regardless, I'm sorry."

"If you feel that bad, feel free to perform a miracle on my leg."

"Oh, right…"

Without warning, Matt placed a hand on her cast. An audible clunk emanated from the woman's body and then the cast split apart.

"Holy shit! You didn't tell me it would hurt like that." Stephanie barked in pain. "I was

joking, I didn't think you'd really-"

Matt stood up and offered her his hand with an apologetic smile. She glared at him for a moment before accepting the offer. Stephanie stood carefully and reluctantly began putting more and more weight onto her leg.

"Holy shit…" She repeated.

"You think they'd still make me go to medical school?"

"Either you're not funny or I'm still in shock." Stephanie replied, eyes still fixated on her leg.

"Maybe both. Anyway, for what it's worth; you definitely made things a little less shitty. You're the best government issue friend a guy could ask for."

"In light of my new miracle leg, I'll overlook your underhanded compliment."

"Fair trade."

"So did you finally come back just to fix a broken agent or…"

Matt stiffened, glancing at the ground and back up to Stephanie.

"I don't like it, I probably never will. But, I'll never get my normal life and the best thing I can do is embrace it. I never want to be some instrument for government agendas or anything like that. But, I really feel like there could be a middle ground. I think we can do more good together than I can sneaking around like some kind of super vagrant."

"That sounds like music to Hanson's ears."

"How's he holding up?"

Stephanie's eyes narrowed as she stifled a smirk.

"Right, silly question."

"Independent contractor…" Hanson repeated the words as he contemplated it.

"Yeah." Matt answered, slightly sprawled on the chair across from Hanson's desk. "It makes it feel a lot less like the government owns me, like either side can walk away if it doesn't work."

"Matt, that can happen no matter what you call it. At any time, you could just fly away or the government could pull the plug. What determines how this goes is trust. We could carry on like how we were or you can earn our trust and things get easy. Have I shown you by now that I have your best interests in mind?"

Matt looked down at the floor as he answered. "Yeah, thank you, by the way."

Hanson leaned back in his chair, eyes never leaving Matt.

"Well, I can't say that you'd have survived if you had listened to me. But we could have been better prepared to back you up."

Matt had trouble maintaining eye contact. Despite months to mentally prepare to face the man, Hanson was right and Matt was still remorseful.

"Hopefully with the comic book villainy over with, I don't have to worry about getting that angry every again."

"About that." Hanson glanced at Stephanie, standing next to Matt, now holding her camera once again. She immediately stopped the camera and shut the office door. "Miranda was taken."

Matt perked up, mouth agape.

"By who?"

"We don't know."

"When?"

"63 days ago."

"Oh shit… Oh shit! She built that thing herself. With major money and parts she could…"

"Correct."

"Do you think she still wants to kill me?"

"I don't think so, but it didn't take an expert to brainwash her before."

"Oh God. I should have-"

"No." Hanson said as he stood and walked around his desk. "If you killed her like that there'd be no going back. The people who want you neutralized would have a leg to stand on. I barely fought off those vultures as it is."

"So what's the plan?" Asked Matt, standing up as well.

"We can start by hammering out some ground rules."

"Rules already, huh?"

Hanson put a hand on Matt's shoulder, flashing a slight grin.

"Terms of partnership, if you will."

Matt ran his hands through his hair and groaned.

"God, people are trying to kill me but right now: Paperwork!"

"Welcome to our world." Stephanie quipped as she resumed recording on the camera.

"First order of business: We need to figure out this camera shit in a way that isn't so annoying."


	3. 2 Screen

Miranda shivered a bit in the wind. Probably around 65 degrees, not unlike that night. She could hear the seagulls, but it was too dark to see them. Taking a deep breath, the young woman opened her eyes. The wood planks on the pier creaked slightly as she walked. Live every time before, there were no people, yet all the lights were on. The rollercoaster careened around its track, occasionally drowning out the sound of the waves below as it passed. Miranda was well past the erie-ness of the scene, it was the same dream every night. The only thing that really changed was what she did in this world.

There was a duality to it. Her best and worst memories were at the Santa Monica Pier. It was a place of love as much as it was a place of pain. The irony wasn't lost on Miranda, she knew that Jack destroyed her life as much as he saved it. And her wonderful memories here came with the guilt, pain, and confusion to prove that. But without her time with him to look back on, there was nothing to hold onto. There was Matt, and the mercy he showed, but he had every reason to reject her escape plan. She couldn't help but wonder if he put this dream in her head as penance. It was an absurd thought, but it was hard not to put it above a person who healed her bones with his mind.

Despite her mixed feelings about this place, it was the only place her captors couldn't control. So she learned to embrace it. Here, she didn't need pills to stay lucid, or anyone to clarify what was real or not. None of it was real, but in a way, all of it was. It was whatever she wanted it to be, and that felt better than what was waiting for her in reality.

Miranda slowly rose off her feet and began to ascend into the air. The ocean was dark around the lights of the pier. Ahead of her was a sea of lights, as far as she could see. She wondered how accurate the cityscape really was, and if it changed every night without her realizing. She concluded that it didn't really matter. What did matter was she was running out of things to do. It didn't sit well with her. She was over the novelty of flying, at least in a dream, and this version of LA in her mind had little in the means of stimulating interaction. The shorter her list of things to try became, the closer she was to being left with that one thing.

Miranda looked down at the ferris wheel and shuddered.

"What's wrong?"

Miranda glanced at the figure floating next to her, then back down. The figure didn't come every night, but sometimes. She had never heard voices before, but she wasn't exactly living in conditions conducive to sanity. Regardless, here she was, conversing with a faceless, imaginary person yet again.

"Nothing."

"What's down there?"

"Nothing, okay?" Miranda pleaded.

She didn't like it when the figure showed up. It made her feel unsound in the mind. Which she knew was true, but the reminder was nonetheless unwelcome.

"I'm sorry."

"Why do you talk to me?"

"Because you're here, I guess."

"Then why are you here?"

"I guess because you're me? I mean you must be, right?"

"Don't say things like that!." Miranda shouted, fists beginning to tremble. "I can't- Please!"

The figure paused a moment before replying.

"I'm just trying to figure this out."

"What can't you figure out? You're the one in my head!" Miranda screamed even louder, bordering on hysterical.

"Okay now you're freaking me out."

"Please just go, this place is all I have. You're ruining it. Please."

The figure seemed to contemplate her words a moment before descending downward and out of sight.

Miranda could barely breathe a sigh of relief before she jolted awake in a panic, tears already covering her face. Sitting up for a moment, she surveyed the dark room. The lights were still off, light from under the door illuminated everything enough to see the shape of the room. Miranda collapsed back onto the mattress as new tears formed. Tucking her legs to her chest as the sobs began dictating her breathing.

"It's all I have." Miranda whimpered between gasps for air. "Please."

The one place she didn't have to feel crazy was turning on her. And in that moment, she wished with all her heart that she had gotten on that ferris wheel.

* * *

"Mmm?" Stephanie hummed as she offered a can of soda and a granola bar to Matt.

"Oh, thanks." He replied, graciously accepting her offering.

Stephanie used her newly free hand to take her own granola bar out of her mouth, sitting down across the table from him. Haven Hills was impressively large, at least for a facility dedicated solely to 'Mogo' and himself. Large enough for a dining facility with on-site cooks. Matt sat at an empty table with a slight slump, worn out from the non-stop meetings. Glancing at the clock, he was surprised to see that it was only 3:04 PM.

"I can't believe we're finally done."

"Well, I can tell you that you saved a lot of time when you told them: "Just pay me whatever she makes.""

"I figured you do well for yourself…"

"I'm just saying, if you added a few zeros they'd have probably went with it."

Matt stared off into space a moment before replying: "I mean, I can fly faster than any Ferrari... I want most of it going to my parents anyway."

"The altruist."

Matt flicked a crumb of granola at the agent with a laugh.

"Like, how are they?"

"Pretty much recovered, you should see them."

"No- No, not with the girl out there somewhere."

"Shh!" Stephanie sternly put a finger to her lips.

"Right, Confidential…"

"Top Secret SCI, actually."

"Same thing, right?"

"Not at all." Said Hanson as he approached the table, the coffee mug in his hand pouring steam. Stephanie and Matt both perked up at his entrance. He continued: "Matt Garretty, LLC. I think it's time to finally meet the research division."

Without waiting for a response, Hanson left the room as calmly as he had entered. Matt cast a look of skepticism at Stephanie.

"So, uh- You've got my back if they run at me with scalpels, right?"

"Nice of you to pretend you need my help."

* * *

"So you said there's a countdown, right?" Matt asked the head scientist, who introduced himself as Paul.

"Yes, starting at five." Paul answered.

Matt stared at the gun mounted in the indoor shooting range. The range was on the other side of the thick glass dividing that room from their own. It was big, much bigger than the kind he had seen any of the military guys carrying. Paul had told him what type it was, but Matt had already forgotten. It looked like something that would be mounted on a heavy vehicle.

"Are you ready?" Paul asked, picking up an electrical box with some switches on it.

"Yeah, I think so." Matt projected his barrier along the red line drawn in front of the gun, from the floor to the ceiling.

"Range clear?" Another researcher spoke into a walkie-talkie.

"Clear." Came a reply over the radio.

Paul began, "Five, four, three, two, one."

The sound was muffled, but a vibration was felt in the bunker room they were in as the gun went off. The bullet was large enough to be visible once the barrier stopped it and it fell to the ground.

Some of the researchers gasped at what they saw, making it hard for Matt to hide his smirk. It felt good to entertain people for once.

"Did you feel anything?" Paul asked, now holding a tablet.

"Um, no- Well kind of. It was like it got pushed back a little, for a split second."

"Interesting," Paul muttered as he tapped at the screen of his tablet before turning it around for Matt to see. "This is a radar image of what went on in there. From what we can see here, if the bullet moved that barrier, it was so little that our instruments didn't pick it up."

The screen showed more or less the same scene they all saw through the window, with the exception of the barrier. The radar actually showed what the barrier looked like; a flat plane, spanning the width of the red line from the floor to the ceiling.

"I mean, it's exactly how I imagine it. But it's still wild to see it…" Matt spoke almost to himself.

"Did it feel like it did when either suit shot you?" Paul asked.

"I don't know, it's hard to say. Like, it's harder, the further it is from where I'm at. I put it around me like a second skin when stuff like that happens. It's stronger when it's that close to me, you know? I was pretty exhausted when those things shot me so I definitely felt it."

Paul took notes as Matt spoke, seemingly unfazed by subject matter's effect on Matt's face. Paul was strictly professional, but Matt derived a morbid enjoyment from it. It was a departure from the way most people talked to him.

"Well before we ever test this personal barrier, we'll stick to this format until we find the limits."

"Yeah, sounds good."

They went on to test larger guns, none of which pierced the barrier. However, the artillery gun mounted to a trailer did seem to come close.

"Are you up for one last test?" Paul asked, glancing up from his tablet.

"Yeah" Matt answered, running a finger under his nose, then inspecting it.

"We're going to arm a grenade in there, I want you to lift it off the ground and contain it in an air-tight barrier."

"Like, hold it like that?"

"Yes, the goal here is to see if you can contain the blast."

"Makes sense."

"Alright, are you ready?"

"Yup."

The same sequence began. The man with the radio confirmed the range was clear and Paul began his countdown.

"Five, four, three, two, one."

Paul mashed a button on his control box and Matt watched as a hand grenade flew from somewhere out of sight in the range. Matt caught the grenade and formed a barrier around it, a few feet in diameter. Unsure what to expect, he put significant willpower into the barrier. A second or two went by before a bright orange flash exposed the spherical barrier before giving way to black smoke.

"Good?" Asked Matt, eyes still fixated on his target.

"Yes, can you hold it?" Paul replied.

"Yeah."

"Is it difficult? How long do you think you'd be able to keep it at bay?"

"It's- It's not so much hard, but I do feel it… It's not going away though. How long do I need to hold it?"

"Well the explosion isn't done, you've essentially hit the pause button. You're containing tremendous compression of gasses right now. Try this: open a small hole on the top of the barrier."

Matt did so, which immediately shot black smoke at the ceiling in a powerful jet. Once the barrier was evacuated, Matt allowed it to collapse, dropping all of the shrapnel on the floor below. The young man turned his attention to Paul, who was furiously writing something on his tablet.

"Tada…"

"This is good, good job." Paul said, glancing up at Matt as he wrote.

"So, have we learned anything or-"

"Well, we've learned about the strength of your 'barriers'. We don't have their limits yet, but we've got some data to go off of now. And the explosion containment could be a useful strategy to you."

Matt cringed at the thought. Stephanie, as if on cue, finally broke her silence.

"That about good for today?" She asked Paul

"Yes, more than enough, thank you." Paul bowed his head slightly to Matt before turning and heading for the door. Most of the researchers followed, sans one.

The younger scientist stared blankly at Matt. Stephanie noticed him first, prompting Matt's attention as well.

"You okay?" Stephanie asked as Matt meekly waved at the man.

"Y-yeah, I'm sorry." The man muttered.

He then quickly walked out of the room, making the sign of the cross as he did so. Stephanie, noticing Matt's wince, put a hand on his shoulder.

"He is risen."

"That's not funny."

"I never took you for the religious type." Stephanie spoke through a chuckle.

"Yea- well, I mean, not really. But, like, why tempt fate with false prophethood."

"Ah, a 'just-in-case'er."

"Ugh, it's like you and Casey are related."

"Ouch." It was Stephanie's turn to wince.

"Well, that's not really an insult until I scare you away too." Matt spoke with a shrug as he headed for the door.

"Give it time."

"God you're brutal, you know that?"


	4. 3 Somnium

Miranda couldn't help but appreciate how real the ocean air smelled. Everything felt that way. Down to the imperfections in the wood, certain lights flickering, and the random gusts of wind. She was doing it again, finding any excuse not to walk any closer to the ferris wheel. Not that time seemed to work the same in dreams, but she had nonetheless lost track of it as she stood and stared.

It was the figure that got her attention, sitting in one of the carriages of the wheel.

"Hey! What are you doing?" She barked, storming up to the ride entrance.

The figure didn't respond, but as if on command, the wheel stopped with the offender's seat at the bottom.

"Can you not hear me?" She continued, reaching the carriage.

"Uh, yeah. What's wrong?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Just sitting. Why are you mad? I've stayed away from you."

"This is- You can't just be on here.."

"Why?"

" You just can't! It's the last place I was-"

Miranda shivered, leaning hard onto the nearby guard rail. The figure stepped out of the carriage and faced her.

"Look, I've been thinking about all this. What if we put aside who's real or not and just, like, talk."

Miranda could only glare through the tears that had begun to form.

"This doesn't have to make sense, okay? We can just talk about what's here. It's a lonely place..."

"Yeah." She steadied herself and wiped her eyes. She hated that she agreed.

"Will you get on?" The figure extended a hand.

Miranda looked over the machine blankly, amazed at how close she had gotten to it. As her anger faded, her knees grew ever more weak. She stumbled toward the carriage, past the figure, and collapsed onto the seat. She felt a hand hover over her shoulder, then recoil away.

"I come here a lot, it's peaceful, you know?" The figure sat beside her.

Miranda nodded as the wheel began moving again.

"This place. It's big, but empty. I guess I've been trying to embrace the boredom. It hasn't worked"

"Yeah."

"How far have you gone from here?"

"It gets dark outside the city."

"Right? I haven't pushed much farther, it's always night so I guess what's the point?"

The ride stopped when they got to the top, pausing the conversation for a moment.

"Are you controlling this?" Miranda finally asked.

"I mean, the ferris wheel, yeah."

"How?"

"I don't know, I just kind of will things and they happen. See?"

On cue, a lone, red firework shot up from the ocean in the distance and exploded in the sky in front of them.

"Can you?"

"I…"

"Well, you can fly too, I bet you can."

Miranda thought for a moment, then looked out to the ocean. A green firework shot up and exploded, just like the last one.

"Green's a good color."

Miranda flashed a quick smirk as she watched the light fade.

"Was it happy?"

"Was what happy?"

"You said this was the last place you were; something. Was the next word happy?"

Miranda's eyes shot away from the figure, she searched for anything in the other direction to gaze at.

"Yeah." She muttered over her shoulder.

"You don't have to talk about it."

"It's just complicated. Someone made me happy, but ruined my life. We had a special night here."

"I'm sorry."

"It's my own fault."

"So this must be a hard place to be, want to get off?"

"No."

* * *

"You don't have to stick around, I'm not planning on doing anything interesting tonight." Matt said as he plopped onto the chair in the breakroom.

"You want me to go?" Stephanie aborted her approach to the adjacent couch and turned to him.

"No. I- I guess I figured you had-"

"A life outside of work?" She sat.

"Well..."

"Not much of one, it comes with the agency."

"What got you into it?"

"Cop dramas, spy shows, James Bond, the uniformed badass thing. It's not like the movies, but it turns out that I'm good at it so I never gave it up."

"Badass?" Matt raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, for a non-messiah, I think I'm doing pretty well."

"Ouch." Matt winced, his eyes darting to the floor.

Stephanie sat forward, leaning with her elbows into her knees. She studied him for a moment.

"That really strikes a nerve huh? The Jesus thing."

"I don't know. I grew up around all that stuff, like, people really believe that shit. Like, unrelentingly. You've seen the news, people are getting crazy about this stuff. I mean, you see zealots doing crazy things in the name of these deities your whole life. Then suddenly it's all focused around you."

"You don't have to be anything."

"Ugh, don't talk like that. I know you mean well but it makes you sound like a shrink."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Yeah, but whoever I am, they're still going to worship me, hate me, fear me."

"Allegory of the Cave. You're in the alien world now."

"Isn't that crazy? Quoting something right before I live it? I mean, I just said it to, like, have an excuse to talk about what I read. But, here I am."

"Well, at least you admit you're a dork."

"Hey, my awkward charm did well for me, when people didn't know."

"Have you spoken to her since?"

"No. And like, I get it. I mean, anyone who'd be interested in me now… I'm more of a novelty than a person to get to know or love."

"Well, you're definitely a novelty. But you're worth knowing."

"Maybe…"

"What about the good parts?"

"Good parts?"

"Yeah. Are you too jaded to appreciate the perks of being a superhuman?"

"Well, yeah."

"Wow." Stephanie laughed in surprise.

"I mean, think of it like this: You spend your childhood looking forward to driving a car, right? You take your test, you get your first car, the new paradigm of freedom, it's so exciting. A few years later you drive from one place to another and forget how you got there. It's your new normal, it happens almost on autopilot."

"Yeah… Still, I'd kill to be able to fly."

"Well let's go then." Matt floated from the couch and gracefully landed near the door.

"Uhh." It was Stephanie's turn to raise a brow.

"Miss badass is scared? Come on, I won't go too fast."

"You know I'll get in trouble if I don't bring a camera."

"Sure, whatever, I'll be outside." Matt rolled his eyes as he left the room.

Stephanie didn't keep Matt waiting long, briskly exiting the building with her camera. Hot on her heels was Hanson, pulling his phone from his ear as they approached.

"Aww, buzzkill." Matt dropped his shoulders.

"We ran into one another. Don't worry, I don't plan on stopping this. So long as she's a willing subject." Hanson replied flatly, studying Stephanie for signs of reluctance.

"Really…" Matt spoke through a chuckle.

"Really." Hanson repeated as he headed back to the building. "Don't drop my agent." He called over his shoulder.

"Well. I-uh, I'm ready when you are."

Stephanie walked up to him and put an arm around his side.

"Oh, that doesn't..." Matt stammered

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing."

Matt put an arm around her to match and they both slowly lifted off the ground.

* * *

Cold.

The concrete floor, the room, the food, and even the shower water was cold. Miranda did her best to enjoy the freezing water. It was either that or remain dirty, which wasn't an option. She knew the bugs weren't real, but what did that matter if they took away her medicine again? They always came sooner if she didn't stay clean.

The door to her room swung open as she finished drying off. Despite the presence of the cameras, Miranda nonetheless covered herself instinctively. One man walked in, stopping just inside the room. He was tall, Miranda wanted to think that it was the same man who periodically beat her. But she had no way to know for sure. He waved his hand, gesturing toward her clothes on the floor, then to himself. Knowing the drill, she quickly donned her clothes and approached him.

He led her down the hall and into the engineering room. Much larger than her quarters, the room was scattered with military components, tools, and computers. There were no other openings in the room aside from a wall-sized door. In front of the door stood the 'Mark 3', as she had been calling it. It looked similar to her second suit, but without the shortcomings of a civilian budget. It had stronger components, armor, and weaponry.

She walked to her main desk, situated to the side to the suit, and sat down. The computer was already on, displaying her instructions:

'-Firmware still stable.

-Inspect right knee; ground impact.

-Weapon is satisfactory, begin new project after inspection. Do not become expendable.'

Miranda sighed as she leaned back in the chair, glancing at the ceiling mounted gun pointing in her direction. She fought tears as she pulled up the CAD program on the computer and began working.

She hadn't gotten far when the smaller door opened loudly. Two men in the body suits led a man with only scrubs on inside, the same scrubs they gave her. The guards retreated back into the door, leaving the two of them alone. He looked to be in his mid thirties with average build and height. He walked around the scattered equipment, making his way to her.

"Miranda, I'm Dr. Kent. I'm a psychiatrist, I'm here to evaluate you." The man spoke quickly.

"Where are we?" Miranda blurted.

Dr. Kent's eyes darted quickly from the turret above them and back to her.

"Best we stay on topic."

His mannerisms and response told Miranda everything she needed to know about his status. He possibly knew the answer, but he was under duress.

"How would you say your mental state has been? Any bugs? Voices?"

"No bugs, only voices in my sleep."

"Dreams?"

"Yeah, but it's diff-"

"Are you taking your Clozapine morning and night? Do you feel it's enough?"

"Yeah, it just hurts. More food would help, I'm hungry."

Dr. Kent's eyes flickered, glancing her up and down. A subtle look of pain flashed across his face.

"For now I'll keep you on the same dose, drink plenty of water."

With that, Dr. Kent stood and briskly walked back to the door and stepped out.

"Don't go." She whispered, fighting back the wave of emotions from speaking to a person for the first time in months.


	5. 4 Receptum

"Dr. Vance told me that the testing went well."

Hanson spoke without looking up from his computer. Matt set his soda on the desk and sat down across from him.

"That's cool."

"Are you up for more or do you need a break?" Hanson glanced in his direction this time.

"It's fine, no nosebleeds. It really wasn't that hard."

"Careful talking like that, give that man an inch…"

"How are you- I don't know, like this?"

Hanson glared up from his screen without moving his head, impatiently inviting Matt to clarify.

"I never see when you leave here, but you get here before almost everyone. What kind of fuel do you run on?"

"Life's simple, Matt. If it needs to be done, you do it. Nothing worth doing is always easy. Coffee also helps."

A curt knock to the door sent Matt's eyes rearward as Hanson called: "Come in."

In walked Stephanie, reading Hanson's expression before sitting in the chair next to Matt's.

"What'd they say about your leg?" Hanson asked, centering his attention on her.

"They said it was as if it healed naturally, just impossibly fast."

"Wait, so you got x-rays or something?" Matt asked.

"Of course. Every test imaginable that relates to bone's healing. Hopefully we can learn something from it." Hanson answered for her.

"Aw- Man... I'm sorry. If I'd have known it would turn you into a lab rat, I would have-"

Stephanie put a hand on his forearm.

"Take it easy, it was well worth the trouble."

"How was the joyride?" Hanson asked.

"Well, I should have brought a jacket. But pretty incredible. And nothing at all like getting your first car."

"Haw-haw." Matt chided.

"Hmm. Well, I'll be flying out this morning. Dr. Vance asked for you to show up at 8."

"Yeah, cool. What's- Do you hear that?" Matt said, wincing.

"What?" Stephanie asked

"Your nose." Hanson muttered.

Matt dabbed his upper lip and inspected the blood on his finger.

"Oh… Shit, shit! Don't move!"

Before anyone could utter a word of inquiry, the room around them turned bright yellow, followed immediately by a dim grey. The grey dust exposed an invisible dome half the size of the room, inside of which they stood. Nothing inside was disturbed while everything beyond the barrier was masked by the floating debris.

"Oh my God." Stephanie muttered.

Hanson grabbed the phone on his desk and put it to his ear for a moment before tossing it aside and pulling out his cell.

"No service, I think it's your barrier."

Wordlessly, Matt waved a hand, clearing the air around the barrier. This revealed a large hole in the side of the building where the room was located. No part of the room beyond the barrier was intact, most of it blasted away. Matt cautiously dropped the barrier and walked toward the new exit.

"Stop! Let's regroup! Whatever did this may be out there!" Hanson called after Matt as he checked his phone a second time.

"I need to lead it away from here, people could die." Matt spoke his retort through his teeth.

"We need to work together on this." Stephanie added.

"Well then what's the plan then? Like, how are you guys not prepared for this after it already hap-"

The ground shook with a plume of dirt as something hit the ground just outside the hole in the building. Before the dust could settle, the familiar sound of the Lightning Bug charging announced the intruder. Matt prepared a barrier for the bolt, but it struck Hanson instead; sending him flying into the eroded wall behind him.

"Hey! Right here! Me!" Matt screamed.

The suit stepped out of the crater it had formed. It looked similar to the last one, but evolved and more streamlined. Nothing looked cobbled together anymore, everything seemed to fit together with a purpose.

The miniguns spun up and Matt once again prepared his barrier. But despite having Matt in clear view, each of the four guns pointed at Stephanie.

"Get out of here!" Matt screamed as he extended his barrier to her, just as the guns fired.

The bullets ricocheted in hundreds of directions as they bounced off the barrier. Stephanie began sprinting toward an opening deeper into the building, but a sonic blast knocked her down. Matt prepared the strongest push he could throw at their attacker, but another sonic blast knocked him backward as well. Blasts continued to bombard him, weakening his concentration. Barely holding the barrier up, he watched in horror as the suit walked toward him while firing all four guns at Stephanie.

"STOP! DON'T DO IT!" He screamed as the attacker stood over him, charging up the Lightning Bug a second time.

As it charged, Matt noticed the gunfire making its way to his direction. As the weapons pointed right at him, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Stephanie shouted in his ear.

"NOW!"

It came to him all at once. He dropped the expansive barrier down to only himself and Stephanie, behind him. With the energy he needed freed up, he fired the barrier forward with everything he had. As if struck by an invisible bus, the suit launched backward into the forest. The sound of several assault rifles began emanating from outside as Matt felt his knees fail him and the world went dark.

* * *

Matt wasn't sure if it was the motion or noise that woke him up. He had never been in one before, but the sound of the rotor blades told him he was in a helicopter before his eyes ever opened. The cabin was dark, lit with red lights. Matt began to sit up in the cot he was lying in.

"Easy." Stephanie's voice was barely audible, the chopper was loud.

Matt ignored her and sat straight up, surveying the cabin. There were two benches facing one another, with his cot placed between them. There were heavily armed Marines on each end of both benches. They each darted their eyes between the windows and Matt, duty at odds with curiosity. Stephanie sat between two of them, next to what looked like a field medic. No light came from the windows at all.

"It's already night?" He asked, bringing his feet to the floor.

"Hang on." The medic said as she slowly reached for his arm, steering his attention to the IV bag hooked to the ceiling, going into his arm.

"Did you drug me?" He asked anxiously.

"No, that's just saline. Do you remember what happened?" Stephanie replied as the medic began removing his IV.

"Yeah. I got a shot in, then woke up here… Did she get away?"

"Yes."

"Fuck. How? Isn't there, like, radar or something for this?"

"Yes, but flying low masks radar signatures."

"I should have been able to do more."

"You did plenty. Nobody died."

"So Hanson is alright?"

"Well, he's in a coma. But they think he's going to make a full recovery."

"Jesus."

"We're going somewhere more secure."

"Where?"

"Homey Airport"

"Huh?"

"Area 51…"

"Uhh. Why there?"

"It's secure and nothing can approach unnoticed."

"Yeah, but, like, I'm not down to be kept in a secret base with UFOs and the like."

"It's just a test ground for secret aircraft, Matt. No aliens or conspiracies. Until now, anyway."

Matt watched the medic place a bandage where the IV was pulled before sitting next to Stephanie.

"You know, you saved my ass." Matt spoke through his hand, massaging the stiffness from his face.

"Well, you had said it's weaker the farther it is from you. Plus it wasn't letting me get away. I didn't know if it would work but I'm glad it did."

"Me too. You're definitely a legit badass."

"Told you so."

"So you're okay?"

Stephanie only stared back at Matt, not hiding her puzzlement.

"That's a _yes?"_

"Well, yeah…" She finally answered, looking herself over, then back up to Matt.

"Yeah, physically I can see. Nevermind. How much farther is it?"

"Well, helicopters can't go far. I'm assuming we'll stop at least once or twice."

"So, Hanson had to work pretty hard to keep the rest of the government types away from me, right?"

"Yeah."

"And, like, he's in a coma. Do you know this pilot? How do we know-"

"I'm ten steps past all that Matt, I can't guarantee everyone's intentions. I'll just put it to you like this: Try not to let your guard down. And maybe keep me in mind if an escape needs to be made." Stephanie flashed a slight smirk.

"Oh."

"Welcome to my world."

"So what did you do before me?"

"Most of it is still classified. But generally a mix of paperwork, intel gathering, and some field work."

"And you gave all that up for this?" Matt swept his hand from one side of the aircraft to the other.

"An agency job more akin to the movies, plus you're not the worst company. How could I say no?"

The aircraft began to descend with a downward jolt, seemingly prompting Stephanie to grab the top of Matt's head.

"Hey!"

"Is this scar on your ear new?" She asked, sticking something into his ear.

"Uh, no."

"Hmm."

Stephanie released his head, the object in his ear beeped as she did. Matt fought the urge to reach up and feel it as he comprehended what had happened. Smooth. As the helicopter landed with a rough thud, the Marines on both sides slid the doors open and stepped out. Matt followed the medic and Stephanie out of the left door. Dark skies made for a strong backdrop for all of the various ground lighting of the airfield. Nearby stood two four-door pickups painted green. They looked as if they were some kind of maintenance vehicles for the airfield; not very new and beat up from honest use. Stephanie walked to one without waiting for any instructions. Several military members were there to greet them but none of them seemed very high ranking. Stephanie got into the driver seat of the vehicle, waving Matt to the passenger seat with a nod and glance. The Marines from the helicopter began walking toward the back doors but were stopped.

"Ride in the lead car, please."

The men seemed startled, but did as she asked without questions. Matt got in and watched as the lead truck filled up and began moving. Stephanie put the vehicle in drive and began to follow. They drove off the airfield and began meandering through what looked like a larger military base.

"Where is this?" He finally asked.

"Looks like Travis Air Force Base, it's in California."

"You think there's something up?"

"Quiet, please." Stephanie spoke softly, pointing at the roof liner in the truck and then to her ear.

Matt let a nervous chuckle slip as he began studying their surroundings more carefully.


	6. 5 Simul

Miranda blinked hard a few times, a halfway fruitful trick to get her eyes to focus properly on the computer screen. Her hands shook when they weren't resting on the keyboard, it was getting worse. They hadn't allowed her a mirror in her quarters, but she could feel that there wasn't much left of herself for her body to consume.

"I still deserve this." Miranda spoke softly to herself.

She tapped the 'Enter' button and watched as the program interfaced with the emitter mounted to the table behind her. The emitter lit up and began producing an aqua-blue light. Miranda tapped the '1' key and watched as the light grew and took the shape of a disk above the table. She forced herself up and traipsed to the marvel of 3D light. Miranda took a moment to appreciate her handiwork before reaching for a hammer on the floor next to the table. With a pained grunt, she lifted it above her head and brought it down on the disk with as much force as she could muster. The hammer shook the disk on impact, bouncing off and out of her hands. The disk flickered and disappeared immediately.

"Damn." Miranda blurted.

She turned around and made her way back to the screen to read the feedback. With a loud clunk, the personnel door opened. Dr. Kent made his way into the room, holding two styrofoam boxes. Miranda spun her chair around to watch his approach, making no effort to contain her smile.

"Hi." She said, waving meekly.

"Hello Miranda." He replied, setting the boxes down and pulling up a chair a few feet from hers. "Studying you on the feed, it's pretty clear that your hunger is beginning to affect your work."

Dr. Kent picked up one of the boxes and offered it to her. Miranda almost dropped it as he let go, nearly falling from her chair as she caught the prized item.

"I'm sorry, I should have warned you that it's a larger portion than normal." He said as he picked his own up and opened it.

"Th-Thank you. So much." Miranda whimpered as she opened the box to see the food inside.

It was no more appetizing than anything else they had fed her, but there was at least ten times more of it. She immediately began shovelling everything into her mouth. Handful by handful, the world around her became a blur as she ate. Miranda had consumed it all in under a minute. Midway through licking her hands clean, she looked up to see Dr. Kent retracting the fork he had been holding out to her. There was pain in his eyes as he put the utensil down and picked up a napkin to offer her. She could barely make out his hand through the tears welling up as she took it and started cleaning her hands.

"I'm sorry."

"No. Don't be." Dr. Kent composed himself and began to eat his own lunch.

"I've… No bugs or voices, still."

"That's good."

"Yeah, the medication-"

"Miranda, this isn't a strictly clinical visit. I'm sure I don't have to explain this situation to you. But, people need interaction, especially with the condition you have. I've made a strong case to the, uh, powers that be, to allow you to talk with me sometimes. Obviously, everything is being recorded and there can't be any topics that would offend the hosts. Is this something you want?"

"Yes!" Miranda nodded quickly.

"So what are you working on here?" He pointed at the emitter on the table.

"It's… Well, I call it hard light. It isn't very strong right now, but I'll get there."

"That's impressive, I'm sure you will."

"Where are you from?"

"Oh, uh…"

"I'm sorry, nevermind." Miranda backtracked, glancing at the nearest camera, then to the floor in embarrassment.

"Well, I'm American, but you already know that by speaking to me. I'll have to speak to someone about what we can and cannot talk about, regarding specifics about where we're from. We can't speculate about people or affairs in present tense, but I think I can find some avenues for future conversations."

"Okay."

"I'm sorry, I suppose I came into this half-cocked. I promise we can get to know each other better as I better map out the dead ends."

"This is already so much better, talking to someone real I mean."

"Miranda, were you talking about voices in your dreams the last time we met. Is that still happening?"

"Yeah."

"How does that go?"

"It's like a person, it's there sometimes."

"Who?"

"I don't know, it's like a person-shaped shadow. No face or anything."

"What does it say?"

"It acts like it isn't part of my dreams, like it's stuck there with me. Every night it's the same dream. It's the Santa Monica Pier at night."

"Well, you certainly had some trauma there. Do you think these dreams mean anything to you?"

"I think it's punishment."

"Hmm. I understand you have regrets, but the subconscious doesn't really act to punish one's self"

"What does it mean?"

"Well, dreams aren't completely understood. Some say they are made up of short term memories that your brain doesn't commit to long term."

"It doesn't seem that way."

"It's one of many theories, but I'm afraid I'm not familiar with them all."

Miranda studied him for a moment, he seemed to be blinking erratically.

"Are you-" She paused a moment.

His right eye was blinking to some kind of rhythm, different from the left. She focused on his right eye's blinking pattern for another moment. There it was: Morse code. He was blinking the code for "SOS". But why? They both knew the situation, but what could she do to help _him?_

"Am I what?"

"Oh. Are you saying you don't think it means anything?"

Miranda scrambled for a way to communicate the message back to him without blinking. They'd surely notice if they both carried on with blinks. It couldn't be a sound either, the microphones in the room surely were sensitive enough to pick up anything that the two of them could hear.

"It's more like something you'll have to gradually unpack _if_ it means anything at all."

The idea finally came to her. She'd have to come up with something else for the next time, but it was good enough to let him know that the message had been received.

"Hmm... Oh hey, I just realized I hadn't shaken your hand when we first met."

Miranda stuck her hand out to him with a smile. Dr. Kent paused a moment, taken off guard, before meeting her halfway. As they locked hands, she quickly mashed the same "SOS" signal with her thumb onto his hand. As if to confirm to the receipt, the right side of his mouth twitched while his gaze briefly spiked in intensity. The exchange also prompted a loud buzz from a speaker on the ceiling. They both snatched their hands back.

"Well it seems that isn't allowed, but I suppose that's a one-time event anyway. That's probably a good time for me to let you get back to your work though."

"Oh."

Dr. Kent took up both food containers and quickly made his way to the door he had entered through.

"I'll see you again as soon as I can." He walked out and the door slammed behind him.

Miranda gazed at the door for a moment in wonderment. Had they figured it out already? Would he be back at all? She was the prisoner of value, he was only good to them as support for her. If he was found out, would he be hurt or killed? Miranda did her best to quell those thoughts as she spun in her chair to face her computer again. Even if she couldn't allow herself to hope, at least she wasn't hungry.

* * *

"Hey." The figure floated to Miranda's eye level.

"Hey." She greeted, sliding to one side of the ferris wheel cab.

The figure gently landed next to her in acceptance to her invitation. They sat for a few minutes before she finally spoke.

"Who really are you?"

"Well, what can you handle knowing that I am?"

"I… I guess anything at this point."

"It feels like I'm in some kind of purgatory, or something."

"For what?"

"I think for what I did to you."

The figure held out its hand to her, producing a bottle. Miranda leaned her head to read the label: Root Beer.

"Hey… how did you know-"

Her voice stopped as she noticed his hand. No longer a dark, massless matter, but human skin. On the wrist was a tattoo she would recognize anywhere. She slowly looked up to Jack's face, no different than the last she saw of him.

"No, no, NO! What the fuck?! Stop this!"

"Mimi…"

"Don't you fucking dare call me that!"

"I've always called you that."

"NO!" She screamed as loudly as she could. Something seemed to shoot out in all directions from her. Some kind of destructive force that was barely visible. The carriage and most of the ferris wheel turned to dust and fell away as the shock wave passed over it. They both caught themselves mid air as the ride was obliterated. They faced one another.

"I don't know what this is, but I think-"

"I said STOP!" She screamed even louder, sending a much larger shockwave outward. It knocked Jack backward and destroyed the entire pier below them.

"No." Jack replied softly, but sternly.

"You aren't real! I'll get rid of you!"

She focused on concentrating this destructive energy toward him. She let out a shriek and watched as a blast shot forward and pushed him further back. He began floating toward her. She studied him, parts of his hair, clothes, and even skin had been turned to dust. But everything blown away had seemed to be regenerating. She couldn't understand why he remained while every other part of the dream could be undone.

Miranda collected every bit of this energy she had tapped into, focused in tighter on him, and pushed out with every ounce of her strength. The stream of this energy had no color, instead it distorted the light passing through it and gave off heat. She continued the blast on him as it shot him backward, but only briefly. Gradually, he began fighting his way forward through it. Miranda tried to dig deeper, but she found no greater power. Closer and closer, he pushed forward until she was in reach. He grabbed her sharply, somehow disarming her blast as he embraced her.

"Let go of me!" She screamed, desperately fighting his grip.

"I'm so sorry, Mimi."

"You aren't him! Let go!"

"So?"

Miranda fell limp into his arms as tears broke through her lashes.

"You don't get to just come back! Why like this?" Her voice was muffled into his shirt.

"I don't know." He whispered down to her.

"You left me, and… I almost killed him. He saved me, Jack. I was so scared, I-I needed you. You were all I had. All I wanted was to make you happy."

"I know."

"Jack, I killed people."

"I know, Mimi. I'm so sorry."

All Miranda could do was let her tears soak into his shirt. She couldn't form words anymore and she was beginning to hyperventilate. She didn't know what she was feeling, it was an unsettling mixture of joy, fear, and despair. How could a memory of him feel so real? And why had he appeared?

As she prepared herself to look up at him, she felt herself shudder as a blinding light enveloped her. Her eyes adjusted to see the cold, concrete floor in front of her. The piercing morning buzzer on the ceiling sounded, sending a jolt down her spine. Miranda pushed the blanket downward and sat up. She was back in reality. She was still completely alone.


End file.
